Beaufort Co. firefighter wanted on charges of soliciting a minor is found in GA, cops say
A suspended Burton Fire District firefighter wanted for soliciting sex from a minor has been located at a medical facility in Georgia, according to police.
Police in Brunswick, Ga., contacted the Beaufort Police Department on Dec. 6 to say they had found Brandon Thomsen, 46, of Beaufort, according to an email sent by Master Sgt. Charles Raley.
Capt. George Erdel with Beaufort Police said Thomsen was at a Brunswick medical facility. The department declined to explain further, citing the federal law restricting the release of medical information.
Thomsen has warrants out for his arrest for one count of criminal solicitation of a minor and one count of disseminating obscene material to a person under 18.
Investigators traveled to Brunswick and executed a search warrant on the rental vehicle Thomsen was using, Raley’s email states.
“The Beaufort Police Department is aware of [Thomsen’s] current location and have been in contact with local law enforcement,” it said. The investigation is ongoing.
A woman reported to authorities on Nov. 29 that Thomsen, a family friend, was making unwanted sexual advances to her 13-year-old daughter through her cell phone, according to a news release.
Beaufort investigators found evidence Thomsen sent explicit messages, including graphic song lyrics to the song “WAP” by rapper Cardi B, to the 13-year-old and asked her not to tell anyone about their conversation, a police report said.
In a statement after the warrants were announced, the Burton Fire District said “upon notification of the warrants, Brandon Thomsen was placed on immediate suspension,” said Daniel Byrne, spokesperson for the agency.
When asked Friday whether Thomsen’s job status had changed, Byrne said all inquiries must be forwarded to the department’s attorney.
Thomsen took part in arresting 24-year-old Trey Pringle of Seabrook, who would later die as a result of the police encounter in 2018.
Reports and a lawsuit brought by the Pringle family name Thomsen as the man who put Pringle in a restraint or hold prior to his death. An autopsy, according to 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone, determined Pringle died during “restraint in a prone position with chest compression.”
